Cranberry Kisses
by FireStorm1991
Summary: Ninth installment of the baking series. On the day of Thanksgiving, there is much to celebrate, and what better way than with a very heated competition filled with moments of reflection and family bonding? Join the Briefs family in their holiday traditions. Cover Art by LacieRhea on DeviantArt


Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ or the characters. The cover-art was done by my friend, GoodEnoughTheOpenDoor. Check out her DeviantArt page, LacieRhea. She's amazing :D

I was hit with this idea not too long ago. My friend, dragoscilvio, had given me an idea for another Easter baking one-shot that I loved, and it made me realize that I hadn't given much thought to making more, so I thought about things I can do, and as people saw in my last baking one-shot, Cupcake Kisses, I was going for something a little bit different. Today's will be very different, but I think it's perfect. A nice trip down memory lane.

I'm thankful to all of my readers and reviewers, for all my family and friends, for opportunities that are coming to me, for my faith, and for the things that have been going well in life. I hope all of you have something to be thankful for, too :) Happy Thanksgiving to you all!

* * *

"Come on, mom, hurry!"

Bulma chuckled at her son's eagerness and shook her head as they entered their kitchen. Today was another day of their famous baking competitions, and it was already starting out very different.

Earlier on that Thanksgiving Day, Vegeta had come inside after training for a few hours. She was talking to him about dinner plans for later when her mother entered the room and told them that she still needed dessert and cranberries. Of course, neither of their children really liked cranberries or their consistency, and they both started shouting ideas on what to do with them. Trunks wanted to make a caramel cake with cranberries, and Bra wanted cranberry scones with icing. The two children looked at each other, glowering in a way that reminded Bulma so much of Vegeta.

And in that moment, the challenge was made.

Bulma and Vegeta hadn't really had a say in the matter, but they found their children's competitiveness entertaining. It reminded them of their first baking competition, making the gingerbread cookies, again because her mother needed dessert for a banquet. Back then, things had been so different. Vegeta had insulted her, calling it woman's work. Bulma had turned it into a challenge. Vegeta accepted. The competition got shot to hell. They shared their first kiss.

She sighed happily at the memory as she looked to her son, the perfect blend of her and her husband. She thought of her daughter, who favored her looks but her father's stubborn attitude and pride. And now, they were taking up the tradition of starting these competitions. Trunks had chosen her to help him, and Bra had wanted Vegeta. And now, this time, there would have to be an actual winner.

Bulma smirked. Vegeta would never let her live it down if she lost after all these years.

It was on.

* * *

Vegeta and Bra were moving fast an efficiently. There was no way he was going to lose to his wife and son. This was the real competition, who could make the most and the tastiest desert. Of course, his daughter shared his tastes, sweet, but not too sweet. Trunks favored Bulma's. Lots of caramel. A grin appeared on his face as he thought of their past competitions.

After the gingerbread competition fell through, he remembered challenging her to a rematch on Easter, making the chocolate candies. Back then, he didn't know what their intimate moments meant, how he felt. He looked over to his quiet daughter who was deep in concentration as the five year old was trying to figure out the recipe in front of her.

They were borrowing Kakarot's kitchen, considering their own was taken by Bulma and Trunks. Of course, the Saiyan didn't know they were there. Bulma had called the harpy that morning to tell her to get Goku and the boys out of the house considering they'd probably eat everything Bra and Vegeta would make. That would put her and Trunks at an unfair advantage. They only had until five in the evening to do this.

"Alright, daddy," Bra said sternly, yet her childish voice was far from intimidating. "We need flour, sugar, baking soda, butter, baking powder, the cranberries, and salt…though, I don't know why we need salt. It shouldn't be salty."

"It's not a lot of salt," he told her. "It won't affect the taste. The harpy has real and dried cranberries. Your call, princess."

"Ugh, real…I don't wanna eat that fake stuff. They're like raisins!"

Vegeta chuckled and shook his head. His daughter, like his woman, was such an enigma.

They gathered the ingredients and two bowls and we rapidly mixing, though careful not to go too fast. Vegeta didn't want the batter to end up on the floor like when he cooked the gingerbread. He thought back on all of their competitions, and then one struck his heart and made him frown.

Father's Day…

It had been after Cell, after he abandoned the woman to train to become Super Saiyan, after he found out he had a son. He had been a terrible father then, and he had even been willing to leave for good. Had their misunderstanding escalated, had Bulma not seen his emotions when he was too closed off to tell her what he was feeling, they would not be here, in this moment, right now. They would not have this beautiful little girl. There would be a heaviness about the day just as there had been in the woman's motions as she made the cookies.

Had it not been for the woman's willingness to forgive him, to force him to lighten up and overcome his anxiety, or for the boy whose innocence melted his heart…he stopped his thought. He couldn't even imagine where he'd be now.

Bra was already getting her hands messy, forming the batter into little balls and placing them on a baking sheet. Her first tray was already in the over, yet her father was still stirring his batter with a serious, distant look on his face. She had never seen her father look like that before, not around her at least. She wondered what he was thinking about.

Vegeta thought back to Trunks's second birthday, where they all worked together to frost his cake. He had not wasted the chance Bulma and their son had given him, and, after that, the majority of the baking had not been under the pretense of a competition. A small smile graced his features, but out of nowhere, he felt something sticky on his face.

The prince looked down at his daughter, who was staring at him with her brow furrowed. He blinked at her as he wiped his own batter off of his face. There was curiosity in her eyes. He knew she wanted to ask what he was thinking about. This conversation, though, was not one he wanted to have with either of his children…not anytime soon.

Mentally, he begged that she wouldn't ask him what he was thinking about. Of course, he got his wish, because her brows furrowed more and she glared at him. "Daddy," she whined, "now's not the time to be thinking. We have a competition to win!"

Vegeta chuckled and finally started molding the batter into scones. "Whatever you say, princess," he replied while thinking the same thing he thought about Trunks's joy on his birthday. _Just like their mother._

* * *

Back with Bulma and Trunks…

"Yes, we're so going to win!" the seventeen year old exclaimed excitedly.

Bulma shook her head at her son's antics. "Trunks, careful, or you might just knock the pan off of the stove and then we'd be one cake short."

"Yeah, I know. I'm being careful. I could never waste my beloved caramel."

 _Oh, dear Lord, when did my son become so dramatic?_ Bulma thought while trying not to burst out laughing. She couldn't fight it though, and Trunks looked at her strangely. "Remember when you were four and we fought with your precious caramel? We were all quite messy."

Trunks thought back before a huge grin appeared on his face. "Oh yeah, I remember. I stayed in that night from trick-or-treating because I was hoping to bake with you and dad."

Bulma seemed stunned. Trunks had never told either of them that before. She always thought that he had wanted to go out that night, but stayed just for the party they were having. The year after, she had Vegeta take him out with Gohan and Goten, instead. "I never knew that."

"Well, yeah," he returned as he put the next cake pan in the oven. "I always loved baking with you guys. It bothers me that we don't do it more often. Just because I'm a teenager doesn't mean I don't miss it."

A frown appeared on his mother's face. She remembered a time when Trunks helped her with all the baking and Vegeta would come in and either assist or destroy. The Thanksgiving where she was pregnant with Bra was the prime example with that. Trunks had helped her bake the pies…Vegeta ended up destroying some in their food fight. A smile appeared on her face as she thought that it was her mouth that had gotten her into trouble that day.

Even when she baked the snickerdoodles that other time, Trunks was out with her mother and Vegeta had been with Bra that whole day. Since then, there was hardly anything except when Bulma had come home on Vegeta's birthday and found her husband and ex in the kitchen making cupcakes with Bra. They really hadn't spent as much time together as she thought.

"We will do this more, Trunks," Bulma assured him. "I promise."

"Really?" the teenager asked, his second wind coming.

His mother smiled and nodded. "Yes, but right now, we have a war to win. It's about time a victor is chosen."

Trunks laughed at his mother's overdramatic nature. "Right, mom!" _And she wonders where I get it from…_

* * *

At five, Vegeta returned with Bra and many containers of cranberry scones. Bulma shook her head and chuckled when Vegeta flashed her his arrogant smirk. _Yeah, buddy…we'll finally see who wins._

"Alright, so how do we judge this?" Trunks wondered.

"Get gamma and gandpa!" Bra suggested energetically.

"Jeez, Bra, it's _grandma_ and _grandpa…_ "

Bulma sweat-dropped as Vegeta said. "She's five. She can call them whatever she wants."

Trunks frowned at his father, pouting slightly. "Fine, take her side."

Where Trunks really wasn't that upset, Vegeta felt a pang of guilt. Earlier, thinking of Trunks's earlier years left him with the heavy feeling that he had failed Trunks somehow. Remembering that Father's Day left Vegeta feeling…different.

Bulma noticed a shift in Vegeta's mood and called for her parents. Now, they would be the unbiased judges. "Mm, this cake is delicious, you two," Bunny said to her daughter and grandson. "Although, it would have been better with cinnamon."

"But gamma, I can't have cinnamon," Bra reminded her with a frown.

Bunny only laughed. "Oh, that's right! How could I forget? You know, my memory's a little silly sometimes."

Vegeta grunted a chuckle. "Sometimes," he whispered to his son who snickered in response.

Bulma lightly smacked her two boys in the shoulders. "Be nice!" she hissed quietly. "What about you dad?"

"Well, the cake is good, but I like the scones. Did you guys use fresh cranberries?"

Proudly, Bra stood up in her chair. "Yeah, gandpa. It was my idea!" Both Bulma and Vegeta sent each other a smile/smirk and silently chuckled.

"Wait, so…it's a tie?" Trunks questioned. "We need a tiebreaker."

"Or we could just accept that we all won."

Bulma, Trunks, and Bra looked over to Vegeta in shock as the Saiyan prince picked up one of the scones and toss it into his mouth. Trunks leaned over to his mother and whispered, "Is dad okay?"

Not really knowing the answer herself, Bulma nodded and then smiled. Vegeta had overheard Trunks's question and moved to his son. The Saiyan stared at the teenager intensely while Trunks blinked at his father in confusion. "Dad?"

And just then, another memory was relived as the prince smirked and ruffled the boy's lavender hair with his icing covered hands. "Aw, man, dad…now I have to wash my hair!" But Trunks didn't sound irritated. Instead, he was laughing. That alone made Bulma's heart soar.

Dinner was finally eaten and over, and Bulma's parents left the room to bring dessert in. Vegeta had caught Trunks alone in the living room, his son eyeing him strangely as his firm stare lingered on the boy. "Um, hey dad…what's up?"

"You and your sister are both very important to me," he said, seemingly out of nowhere. "Don't forget that."

Trunks's brow quirked in his confusion. "O…kay…"

The Saiyan prince felt awkward enough in this moment, and Trunks's response didn't make it any easier. "Your mother said you wanted to spend more time with us. What do you want to do?"

"Are you seriously asking me that?" Trunks asked, his jaw slack.

Vegeta blushed slightly. "Well, it's not like I know what Earthling teenagers like to do. It's your call, son."

Trunks's face lit up at his father's offer. "That's awesome! Okay, dad, tomorrow, you and I are going clubbing. I have to tell Goten!"

Vegeta was a bit taken aback by Trunks's suggestion. At that moment, Bulma entered the room with Bra who was carrying a plate of scones with her. Bulma looked amused, her grin growing wider as Vegeta asked, "Since when has Trunks liked hunting?"

At that moment, Bulma couldn't contain herself any longer, and she started chortling hard and long. Vegeta's perplexed expression transitions to annoyance, and he left his mate to talk to Trunks about their hunting trip.

"Oh, Bra, honey," Bulma said calming herself down. "Your father doesn't know what he's in for."

She looked over to her five year old who had a scone sticking out of her mouth as the little one cocked her head in confusion, causing her mother to laugh again.

Bulma was certainly thankful for her strange family. They kept everything interesting, especially their baking competitions.


End file.
